Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Pope has reportedly put pressure on the Bon Secours order - and the Government - to accept their role in the Tuam Mother and Baby Home scandal.
It's after Pope Francis responded to a letter from Children's Minister Catherine Zappone - in which she requested financial resources from the Church.
In October, it was confirmed the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam is to be fully excavated and forensically examined.
The cost of such an operation is unknown, but it's expected it could reach up to €12 million.
The Bon Secours order has offered some €2.5m towards the works but a larger contribution is being sought by the Government.
Children's Minister Katherine Zappone wrote to Pope Francis, and in her correspondence - which detailed the work being carried out by the Commission of Investigation into 14 homes nationwide - she requested a financial contribution from the church.
According to the Sunday Independent, Pope Francis has responded - but was not drawn on the issue of contributing towards the excavation.
However, he offered that he would pray that "efforts made by the Government and by local churches and religious congregations would help face, responsibly, this tragic chapter in Ireland's history."
A spokesperson for Minister Zappone says due to Pope Francis's reference to the congregations, he is possibly aware of the offer by the Bon Secour order.
